


Three Gates in a Ring

by ViaLethe



Series: 3 Sentence Ficathon 2021 [9]
Category: The Expanse (TV)
Genre: 3 Sentence Ficathon, 3 Sentence Fiction, Also contains the Rocinante as a character, Drinking, F/F, Flirting, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Post-Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:06:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViaLethe/pseuds/ViaLethe
Summary: A collection of 3-sentence Expanse ficlets.1)The Roci's been through a lot for one spaceship.2)Holden really, really wishes Naomi was around right now.3)Chrisjen, Bobbie, and Drummer walk into a bar.4)Chrisjen and Bobbie are both grieving.5)Amos wants to see what Chrisjen's wearing.6)Amos has some fashion advice for Chrisjen.7)Amos wonders what Naomi would do in his place.8)Erich can't believe Clarissa's truly what she says she is.9)Amos explains to Erich who he runs with now.10)Erich, Amos & Clarissa play a drinking game.
Relationships: Amos Burton & Chrisjen Avasarala, Amos Burton & Clarissa Mao, Amos Burton & Jim Holden & Alex Kamal & Naomi Nagata, Chrisjen Avasarala/Bobbie Draper, Chrisjen Avasarala/Bobbie Draper/Camina Drummer
Series: 3 Sentence Ficathon 2021 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2191875
Comments: 12
Kudos: 18





	1. Three for the Roci (and Crew)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2021 3 Sentence Ficathon on DW; prompts are included.

_**Prompt: any sci-fi/space fandom, any, from the point of view of a spaceship**_

_A Good Defense _

Once, she’d been Martian, but that was so long ago it was hard to remember; back before a crew so tiny it was almost insulting they managed to run her at all, back before a name change and bullet holes and blue goo and so many dodged missiles she’s not certain how the hell they’ve managed to stay in the air; her targeting systems are good, her defense systems are better, but goddamn, do these people love themselves some trouble - and now, what is this new bullshit they’re attaching to her?

Oh - a rail gun? Fuck yeah, she loves these idiots.

  


_**Prompt: The Expanse, any, “I’m gonna Naomi the shit out of this.”**_

_But You Are Not Her_

“Chief, what does that even _mean_?” Alex asks.

“Yeah, you know saying that ain’t gonna make it happen, right?” Amos adds, amending it with, “just saying, cause things have never really gone too well for you when she’s not around,” when Holden glares at him.

“It means,” Holden says, already half lost in the ship’s code spilling out on the screen before him, “that I’m gonna get the Roci to talk to me,” and it’s hard to ignore the skepticism of his crew, but even harder to ignore the one thing that’s always been clear to him, though now more than ever: he really, _really_ needs Naomi in his life.


	2. Three for the Space Queens

_**Prompt: The Expanse, any, an earther, a martian, and a belter walk into a bar...** _

_And We Can Dance a Little More_

“To two of the strongest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Avasarala says, her throaty voice rich as the whiskey in Bobbie’s glass, flowing sluggishly with Luna’s weak gravity; Bobbie watches the way the Secretary General’s tongue peeks out from between her lips for just a second, seeking out her own drink, and sighs, just a little.

“Feels like I am interrupting something,” Drummer mutters into her glass, dark-rimmed eyes careful, watchful; Bobbie’d known her for a fellow soldier from the first second, Belter or no - this was a woman who didn’t miss much, had bone-deep loyalty, and would absolutely fight you to the death, which Bobbie could respect.

“Or maybe you’re being invited to join,” she offers, leaning back in her chair with an ease she doesn’t truly feel and listening to the low hum of Chrisjen’s amusement; watching Drummer’s eyes shift to her with a whole new appraisal before she tips her head and raises her glass as well - it’s a start, at least.

_**Prompt: any, any, life's like a box of matches, sometimes the whole thing catches, and all you can do is watch it burn** _

_A Beautiful Fiction_

“I’m sorry, for what it’s worth,” Avasarala says, the throaty gravel of her voice thicker than usual with what sounds oddly like sincerity to Bobbie’s ears, “about Mars, I mean.”

Bobbie just shrugs, her back still ramrod straight though exhaustion and grief and alcohol all scream at her to slump over; have been for longer than she cares to think about, really, but what does that matter now, with the dream of Mars burning down into its red dust; with Earth covered in a mourning veil of ash, grey and white and dying.

“Everything dies sometime, ma’am,” she says, though her voice comes out smaller than she’d intended, and when Chrisjen takes her hand, she doesn’t pull away.


	3. Three for Chrissy

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Chrisjen Avasarala, Sari in Space** _

_To See You This Way_

“Stand up, so’s I can see what you’re wearing,” he says, not even actually looking at the screen, face dead serious like he doesn’t realize he’s giving orders to the goddamned Secretary General.

With the hand that isn’t on her desk, itching to toss a rude, teasing gesture his way, Chrisjen smoothes the skirt of her sari - dark blue, silver embroidery, heavy silver and amethyst jewelry she’d bought as a well-deserved gift to herself on her first Cabinet appointment - and says, “Would you like me to do a fucking twirl for you too?”

“Yeah,” Amos says, eyes snapping to the screen - at least she’s gotten his full attention - “that’d be real nice, actually,” and on Luna, Chrisjen rolls her eyes, disconnects the call with a flick of her fingers - and smiles.

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Amos Burton, Chrisjen Avasarala, jewel tones** _

_Back My Choice_

He calls while she’s in the midst of deciding what outfit best projects the perfect balance of power and humanity for her next appearance before the cameras, and she knows perfectly what will happen if she takes the call, but she’s nothing if not perverse, and all the desperation of the political crowd on Luna makes her long for a distraction, anyhow.

Sure enough - “The white ain’t what you’re looking for, Chrissy,” he says, once their business is done but before she can get him off the line again, “but jewel tones - that’s your sweet spot right there, can’t go wrong.”

“How the fuck do you know anything about what colors a woman looks best in?” she asks, before she can think better of it and hold her stubborn tongue, but he just smiles at her - more of an honest grin than she’s ever seen from him, without any edges - and says, “trust me, you really, _really_ don’t wanna hear about it.”


	4. Three for the Earth Trio

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Any, What would Naomi do?** _

_Gonna Get Yourself Broke One Day_

“What do you usually do, when you’re not sure what the right thing is?” Peaches asks, looking down at the mess they’ve made that used to be a person, and he knows she’s asking instead of answering cause she’s worried she might be too much like him to know the answers.

“Usually I ask myself what Naomi’d do, if it were her. But she’d never be here - she couldn’t be on a planet - so I don’t know what she’d do,” he says, shrugging, glancing up at the paler spot in the sky that might be the moon, where Naomi _could_ be - _would_ be even, maybe, if he ever makes it back up there - and that’s a nice thought, so he adds, “but I do know she wouldn’t give up on getting back to her people, so let’s keep moving.”

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Peaches, Erich, Amos, this exchange [gifset of Clarissa and Erich discussing the nature of tribes; Erich mockingly asks where Amos found Clarissa. She replies that she was in prison for multiple homicides.]** _

_It’s Lonely at the Top_

“Hey,” Erich says, kinda low and quiet, cause it’s not like everyone needs to know this information on the off chance it _isn’t_ a massive load of bullshit, “your girlfriend claims she was in prison for multiple murders - that true?”

Timmy just stares back at him like he’s wondering why the fuck he’s been asked that question for a second before he says, “She’s not my girlfriend, and yeah, she’s probably killed more people with her bare hands than you have.”

It takes Erich a second to digest this, cause Timmy might be many things, but he’s never been a liar (well, other than in the matter of his identity, and really, that fake is so damn good it’s barely a lie), before Timmy opens his mouth again, says, “Not as many as me though, probably,” and gives Erich that weird little grin before he walks off - _Christ,_ Erich thinks, _I’ve actually missed that fucker._

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Erich & Amos, baffled** _

_Leave My Friends Where I Found Them_

“ _The_ Rocinante?” Erich asks, letting the disbelief in his voice show, cause sometimes, just making it obvious you think a person’s lying will get them to back down. “The same Rocinante that was involved with Eros, and the ring gates, and went on some do-good UN mission on that bullshit colony planet-” (“Ilus,” Timmy says, nodding along, but Erich never lets anyone interrupt him if he can help it), “and managed to what, save a whole Belter crew along the way - _that_ Rocinante?”

“Yeah, Holden gets us in a lot of messes,” Timmy says, shrugging, “but he always manages to get us back out again too, so I figure it ain’t so bad in the end - Ilus really fucking sucked though,” he finishes, shaking his head, looking Erich in the eye, “so you go out through the rings, don’t go to that one, okay?” and Erich can’t really think of anything to say to that other than a strangled, “Yeah, okay.”

_**Prompt: The Expanse, Erich, Amos, Clarissa (any, all), one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor** _

_Nothing Holding Me Down_

“Look at her,” Erich hisses, “and tell me you can’t outdrink her - she weighs about as much as one of your arms.”

“Less, maybe,” Amos says, and knocks back his shot with a straight face, never taking his eyes off Clarissa’s face, not for one second.

All forty kilos of her don’t look the least bit intimidated though; she just pours again, raises one eyebrow (and her glass), and says, “Gentlemen?” leaving Erich no choice really but to follow, even as he answers, “I know this is a bad idea, but fuck me if it doesn’t look too good to pass up,” and let both of them make whatever they want out of that.


End file.
